A Leap of Trouble
by BistaUss
Summary: Written for the 2018 Rumbelle Showdown on Tumblr, and finally posted when I found the rough draft in a notebook while cleaning today and remembered the darn story existed. Belle finds some helpless kittens at the edge of the forest surrounding the Dark Castle, and cuteness ensues.


Belle was hanging up laundry when she heard the mewling sounds. She looked around cautiously, remembering the encounter with the puppy and subsequent kidnapping. It seemed like it was coming from somewhere in the forest just beyond the clearing. She followed her ears, moving slowly closer to the tree line. She only stopped to pick up a heavy stick, just in case. The sounds led her to the very edge of the forest, where she could just make out something moving. Hefting her stick in both hands, she approached warily.

When she could make sense of what she saw, she gasped. There was a huge cat, the likes of which she'd never seen before. Its fur was white as moonlight where it wasn't spotted with shades of grey. It was crouched low to the ground, its breathing strained. In the shade of the trees she could just make out the steadily growing pool of blood beneath it. It was hurt, badly. She looked into the cat's face, where startling green eyes met hers, with an intelligence that froze her. Before she could think of how to she'd defend herself if it tried to attack, it shuddered and its legs gave out. With a long, wet sigh, the beast's eyes closed and it rolled to the side, completely still.

She might have wept for the beautiful creature, had she not seen the kittens. Four tiny balls of fluff, the source of the pitiful sounds that had caught her attention, still pawing at their mother.

Belle didn't think twice. She ran back to the Dark Castle as swiftly as her feet would carry her. In the kitchen she snatched up a crate full of vegetables. Those were unceremoniously tossed to the floor as she ran back outside, grabbing shirts and socks from the clothes lines as she went and tossing them into the crate.

The kittens hadn't moved, she saw with relief. Panting, she knelt beside them. "Up you come," she said softly, gently picking them up one at a time and depositing them amongst the wool and silk. Their eyes were barely open, she noticed. The poor things couldn't be much more than a week old.

Belle stood and braced the crate on her hip, gently touching each kitten in turn, hoping to start familiarizing them with her scent. "There there," she whispered as she slowly walked toward the castle. "You'll be alright."

"What is that godawful noise?" Rumplestiltskin murmured to himself as he approached the great hall. Over the sound of a crackling fire, he heard a chorus of squeaking and crying. He entered the room to see the maid sitting before the fireplace, decidedly not doing any maid work, and approached. The sound got louder, and he narrowed his eyes at the crate next to the girl. When he got close enough to see the little furry lumps inside it, he demanded, "What the hell are those?"

"They're kittens, obviously," Belle replied, turning slightly to look at him. The Dark One was not entirely surprised to see that she was cradling one of the little beasts, but his jaw did drop slightly when he saw she was feeding it out of a bottle. "I wish I could capture the face you're making right now," she added with a small smirk. He snapped his mouth shut.

"What exactly is going on here?"

"I found them while I was hanging up the laundry," she said, turning her gaze back to the kitten in her arms. "Their mother died just as I spotted them. I couldn't just leave them to die too."

Rumplestiltskin crouched by the crate, getting a closer look. He gave a sniff. "Do you even know what sort of kittens these are?"

Belle turned her head to him. He was still eyeing the kittens in the crate. "No," she answered honestly. "I didn't much care. Didn't even think about it, really. I just knew I couldn't leave them out there."

He wrinkled his nose and looked at her. "These are ghost leopards, dearie."

Belle blinked, glancing down at the one she was feeding. "I've read about them."

"Of course you have."

She pursed her lips but didn't respond to his quip. "Did you know you had ghost leopards in the forest around your castle?"

The Dark One leaned back on his heels. "I knew they were there. Why do you think I tell you not to go wandering off into the forest?" He gave her a feral grin, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He watched as she carefully returned the kitten she was holding to the crate and took another one out. It meowed in a most irritating fashion until she settled it with the bottle. He shook his head. "I've only seen them a handful of times. They're quick and intelligent. I'm curious about what killed their mother." His eyes flashed a little. "Whatever could take down a ghost leopard is certainly something worth seeing."

"It was very sad," Belle said.

"Yes yes, I'm sure it was," Rumplestiltskin said in a dismissive, though not unkind, tone. "Now I'll need to do something about these," he went on, standing as he gestured to the crateful of kittens. "You certainly can't keep them."

"Not forever, of course," Belle replied, not even glancing up at him. "I do want to care for them for a while though. They're far too young to be on their own." A tiny smile crossed her face. "And it doesn't hurt that they're adorable."

"Just because they're furry and cute doesn't mean they aren't dangerous, Belle." Now she looked at him. His tone was more serious than it had been before. "These aren't housecats. They can be quite vicious."

"I know that," she said. "I told you I've read about them. I know how lethal they'll be as adults. As I said before, I know I can't keep them forever, but they need someone to take care of them till they can fend for themselves." She held his gaze with a look that would have no argument, not even from the Dark One.

He snorted. "Perhaps we should tattoo some spots on you, if you want to mother them so badly."

Belle rolled her eyes at him but didn't bother to hide her grin. She knew him well enough by now to know when he'd given in.

The Dark One stood, saying, "I have dealing to attend to. If those things make a mess of my castle while I'm gone it'll be on your head, dearie!"

She rolled her eyes at him, not bothering to reply as she placed the kitten she was holding back in the crate and pulled a new one out for its turn at the bottle. He was walking away when she started cooing, "Now to think of names for all of you."

Rumplestiltskin stalked off, shaking his head, but unable to keep a smile off his face.


End file.
